NEWTOWN, Conn. – Eight people were killed, including two small children, in a mass shooting in Erie, Pennsylvania on Friday night. According to a press conference with law enforcement on Saturday night, one of the deceased victims was eight months pregnant. Officers said the two children who died were five years old and almost two years old.
The suspected shooter was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police have reported that the suspected shooter was related to seven of the victims, and the eighth victim was a family friend. The investigation into the motive behind the shooting is still unfolding.
In response to this attack, Nicole Hockley, co-founder and CEO of Sandy Hook Promise and mother of Dylan who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, issued the following statement:
“Eight people were killed in Erie, including two young children and a woman expecting a baby. Each was loved. Their deaths leave families and a community facing unimaginable grief.
“When my 6-year-old son, Dylan, was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School, I learned how suddenly a family’s life can be shattered, and how deeply that loss reaches into every day that follows. My heart is with the victims’ loved ones and everyone in Erie who is grieving.
“I’m also furious. We cannot allow the repeated loss of children, parents, and entire families to be something our country simply accepts. No family should ever have to endure this devastation.
“As investigators work to understand what happened, we must keep working to prevent gun violence by helping people recognize warning signs, taking concerns seriously, and ensuring that help is available before a crisis becomes deadly. That responsibility belongs to all of us, from our communities to our elected leaders.
“The families in Erie deserve our compassion and support in the days ahead. They also deserve our sustained commitment to protecting other families from this pain. We must turn our grief and anger into action that saves lives.”
For more information about gun violence prevention, resources for how communities can heal after a tragedy, and ways to support bipartisan policies that are proven to save lives, please visit sandyhookpromise.org.
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Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) envisions a future where all children are free from school shootings and other acts of violence. As a national nonprofit organization, SHP’s mission is to educate and empower youth and adults to prevent violence in schools, homes, and communities. Creators of the life-saving, evidence-informed “Know the Signs” prevention programs, SHP teaches the warning signs of someone who may be in crisis, socially isolated, or at-risk of hurting themselves or others and how to get help. SHP also advances school safety, youth mental health, and responsible gun ownership at the state and federal levels through nonpartisan policy and partnerships. SHP is led by several family members whose loved ones were killed in the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.
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